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April 12, 2018

Houston preps for hurricane season but can't handle record rainfall again

Hurricane season is only weeks away, but thousands of people in the Houston area are still recovering from Hurricane Harvey.

April 6, 2018

Rain shuts Yosemite, threatens problems at tallest US dam

Northern California is bracing for a major spring storm that is expected to dump several inches of rain on burn-scarred areas of wine country and could present the first test of the partially repaired spillway at the nation's tallest dam.

March 29, 2018

Tornado hit Texas, flooding a threat as storms move east

Authorities say a tornado touched down in Texas, damaging homes but causing no injuries on Wednesday, and that severe weather continues Thursday to pose a threat of dangerous wind gusts, lightning and flooding as the storms move eastward.

March 23, 2018

The Latest: Storm brought much-needed rain to California

The Latest on California storms (all times local): 2:30 p.m.

March 22, 2018

The Latest: Small dam failure averted after leaks

The Latest on California storms (all times local): 6:50 a.m.

March 22, 2018

California rain brings flooding streets, swelling rivers

Although the first wave of a worrisome Pacific storm hasn't caused any major problems in California, forecasters say the worst is still to come, leaving authorities and disaster-weary residents on edge.

March 22, 2018

California braces for worst as powerful storm set to bring heavy rain, potential mudslides

Authorities and residents in California were bracing for the worst on Thursday as forecasters warned that major problems could still be on the way from a dangerous Pacific storm.

March 22, 2018

Storm drops record-breaking rain in parts of California

When sheriff's deputies told Kristine Sperling and her family they should evacuate their Southern California home because of an approaching storm in January, they didn't listen.

March 21, 2018

The Latest: Heaviest California rains still to come

The Latest on a storm that has forced evacuations in California (all times local): 6:45 a.m.

March 21, 2018

7 sites for disaster tourism

From tornado-ravaged towns to terrorist attack sites, there's something about tragedy that causes us to recoil in horror – but then run to the source to see it for ourselves. Sites of major disasters – whether man-made or entirely natural – can be extraordinarily compelling. But why? "A lot of people feel very sympathetic to victims of disasters, yet feel incapable of helping or supporting people who have suffered," says Dr. Michael Brein, a travel psychologist and author. "To some extent, when you go to revisit the scene of a disaster, you're paying homage, expressing sympathy with what has happened." The 9/11 Memorial in New York City is a striking example of this theory at work – within months of opening in 2011, upwards of one million visitors had visited the site of the worst terrorist attack in American history. "Some of us feel, if we can revisit the scene of these disaster areas, we can maybe get a more genuine, more hands on, more sensory input of what has happened," says Dr. Brein. In instances such as 9/11, he says, "we all go through a form of grieving – just as in the normal grieving process, visiting gives you some kind of completion, that you can now turn it around." Still, visitors must be appropriately sensitive, says Kelly Schulz, spokesperson for the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. Schulz's family home of 30 years was devastated in the flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina, in 2005. "I think the most important thing is to approach the situation and the local people with respect," says Schulz. "Also know the right time to go," she says. "Stay out of the way until it is appropriate for visitors to travel to that site." Here are seven popular sites that will leave a lasting impression: